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Thursday, May 8, 2014

NFL Draft 1st Round Fantasy Football Impact

After all of the debates and trade rumors, the Houston Texans drafted Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. Look out Andrew Luck, JJ Watt and Clowney are coming at you two times each season! The St. Louis Rams followed that up with Greg Robinson to protect Sam Bradford, who faces the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks defenses 6 times each season. The Jacksonville Jaguars then picked Blake Bortles over Johnny Manziel! Not what I would have done!

With Johnny Manziel still on the board, the Minnesota Vikings traded down one pick to add a 5th rounder from the Cleveland Browns, after trading down from the 4 slot and picking up a 1st rounder next season, and drafted CB Justin Gilbert! WHAT?!. The Vikings then followed that up with Anthony Barr.

The Saint Louis Rams who had a very good defense in 2014 picked at 13. Instead of helping out Sam Bradford and the offense, they went with Aaron Donald, the DT out of Pittsburgh. This should help the Rams compete with the other elite defenses in the NFC West.

We all know the Pittsburgh Steelers like to be the "Linebacker U" of the NFL, so there is no surprise they went with Ryan Shazier, the OLB from Ohio State. Expect Pittsburgh defense to be very physical in 2014.

There was a very good chance that the Dallas Cowboys drafted Johnny Manziel here at 16, but they went with OT Zack Martin from Notre Dame. At age 34, the Cowboys need to protect Tony Romo and they got great talent here.

At pick 17 the Baltimore Ravens drafted ILB C.J. Mosley from Alabama. The AFC North is all about defensive battles, so the Ravens are looking for the next Ray Lewis. Mosley has a chance to be a stud on the Baltimore defense.

The Jets will have a brand new offense in 2014 with the additions of Mike Vick, Eric Decker and Chris Johnson. The Jets went with S Calvin Pyror out of Louisville to help improve their struggling secondary.

After giving up 58 sacks last season, the Dolphins need to provide Ryan Tannehill with some protection. At pick 19 Miami went with Ja'Wuan James, the 6'6 OT from Tennessee.

New Orleans Saints moved up to the 20th pick after a trade with the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona will get the 27th overall pick as well as the Saints third round pick. With the 20th pick, the Saints grab Brandin Cooks, the WR from Oregon State. He runs a 4.3 40 and will fit in nicely after the Saints traded away play maker Darren Sproles.

After getting 0 interceptions from their safeties in 2013, the Green Bay Packers selected Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the safety out of Alabama with the 21st pick.

Well the Browns traded the 26th overall pick and a third rounder to the Eagles, to move up to pick number 22. It was quite obvious who they were going to take here. The fans were chanting "Johnny" and that's who the Browns took, Mr. Johnny Manziel!

At 23, the Kansas City Chiefs went with DE Dee Ford from Auburn. The Chiefs could use some more play makers on offense but after blowing a 38-10 lead to the Colts in the playoffs last season, the Chiefs addressed their defensive line.

With the 25th pick, the San Diego Chargers addressed their biggest need and that's the CB position. The Chargers drafted Jason Verrett, the CB from TCU.

Moving down 4 picks after the trade with Cleveland that landed them Johnny Manziel, the Eagles select Marcus Smith, the DE from Louisville. After trading for Darren Sproles the Eagles have their play maker after losing DeSean Jackson. Philly simple trying to improve their defense with this pick.

Just like the Rams earlier in the draft, the Arizona Cardinals select a defensive player with the 27th pick. The Cards took S Deone Bucannon from Washington State. The NFC West is built around defense and the Cardinals feel like Bucannon will help them down the line.

Lacking a real threat in the pass game, the Carolina Panthers drafted WR Kelvin Benjamin from Florida State. A huge target for Cam Newton, Benjamin is best known for making the game winning catch in the National Championship. Benjamin will provide Newton with a play maker after losing Steve Smith.

With the 29th pick the New England Patriots selected Dominique Easley, the DE from Florida. As long as Tom Brady is under center, the Patriots offense will be fine. You can never have too much defense and the Patriots make it work with whoever is on the field.

The San Francisco 49ers improve their secondary by drafting Jimmie Ward, the S from Northern Illinois. Just following the trend for the NFC West.

Looking to get back to the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning, the Denver Broncos drafted the CB out of Ohio State, Bradley Roby. The Broncos don't need help on offense as long as Peyton Manning is their QB (unless they face the Seahawks in the Super Bowl again), so Roby will help a new look Denver defense, led by DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib.

Finishing off the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks trade the 32nd pick to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings had a chance to grab a QB with the 8th overall pick but went with CB Justin Gilbert. They move back into the first round ahead of the Houston Texans and select QB Teddy Bridgewater.

Quarterbacks

The Jaguars skipped over Johnny Manziel to grab Bortles and while I think this is a mistake, we have to live with it. Will he even be the QB Week 1? Chad Henne just re-signed for 2 years so he could start the season with Bortles coming in when the Jags are 0-10. As of now, not a great fantasy football QB, especially with theh possibility of no Justin Blackmon. Ace Sanders and Cecil Shorts are his top options with Toby Gerhart in the backfield. I look forward to seeing who the Jaguars add around him in the coming rounds.

Johnny Manziel - Cleveland Browns

The Browns traded down from pick 4 to 8 and drafted CB Justin Gilbert. We all knew they were extremely interested in drafting Manziel. After Manziel was passed by the Cowboys at 16, the Browns knew they had to trade up to get him. They finally grabbed Johnny Football at pick 22 after trading with the Eagles. This Browns franchise has struggled to find an identity and they certainly have it now. Manziel will get it down with his legs as well as his arm, thanks to having Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron as weapons down the field.

Teddy Bridgewater - Minnesota Vikings

Bridgewater was thought to be the best QB in the draft at the beginning of the college football season but ends up being the third QB selected in the first round. If Bridgewater gets to start the season as the Vikings starting QB, then he won't have a lot of pressure on him because the offense runs through Adrian Peterson. The game will come easy to him as opposing defenses will have to focus on shutting down Peterson, which will allow him to sit in the pocket and possibly pick apart the opposing defense.

Wide Receivers

The Bills traded up from the 9th spot to grab Watkins and I love this move. After trading for Mike Williams this offseason, EJ Manuel now has some WR options, and CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson in the backfield. Rookie WRs take time to adjust, but Watkins is the best of the best. Worth drafting this summer in fantasy football drafts.

The Bucs skipped over Johnny Manziel for Evans, who will line up opposite Vincnet Jackson. Mike Glennon or Josh McCown will have plenty of wiggle room with their throws. Evans will be inconsistent because of QB play, but he will be a decent WR3 option as a rookie.

Odell Beckham Jr.- New York Giants

The Giants let Hakeem Nicks go to the Indianapolis Colts, and they replaced him with their 1st round pick in Bekcham Jr. Not nearly as big as Nicks, but a top notch WR and a much needed target for Eli. Let's hope the free agent signings on the offensive line keep Eli upright this season. Bekcham will battle Rueben Randle to line up opposite Victor Cruz and will probably serve as a waiver wire move come BYE weeks.

Brandin Cooks - New Orleans Saints

Well the Saints lost Darren Sproles after trading him to the Eagles, so everyone wondered how they would replace his production. The franchise answered that by going out and drafting the fastest WR in the entire draft. Cooks ran a 4.3 40, and has play maker written all over him. He can get a lot done in the open field and expect Drew Brees to look his way often, especially quick screen plays.

Kelvin Benjamin - Carolina Panthers

Benjamin had a great year as a Sopohmore at Florida State, catching passes from Heisman winner Jameis Winston, including the game winning catch to crown FSU National Champions. At 6'5 240 lbs, Benjamin provides a huge target for Cam Newton for years to come. The Panthers really like his upside and feel like the Newton to Benjamin combination will be a nightmare for defenses around the league.